Seeing You
by Alabaster Ink
Summary: He had to find Hinata. He had to make sure she was safe.


**Just a little one-shot for my feels. It was based of the cover picture done by gabzilla-z on tumbr (which I was given permission to use). She is amazing! I definitely feel like something like this could have happened at the end of the war. It is canon-compliant. I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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 **Seeing You**

 **One-Shot**

The first person he looked for was Hinata.

Amidst the cheers, and the crying, and the overall celebration, Naruto stumbled. The world was out of focus, his fatigue impeding his ability to walk in a straight line. Everything was a blur, from the people to the ground to the sky. An ache had built up in the back of his head and his arm dangled uselessly at his side. What remained of his other arm was wrapped tightly in bandages, only the smallest specks of blood still seeping through. He paid the appendage no mind; he couldn't feel anything anyway and even he knew that he hadn't completely registered it was gone just yet. He figured it would hit him later, but right now he couldn't have cared less.

He had to find Hinata.

Naruto scuffled along the ravaged earth, kicking up rocks and dirt with each step. There were needles in his feet and his muscles felt like lead. Only pure strength of will enabled him to move forward. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Shikamaru and Chouji patting each other down, the teammates just reassuring each other they were still here. Naruto wanted to smile, but found he was too tired. Instead, he kept walking.

He walked for what felt like hours. Dust settled on his brow, drying in cracks around his eyes as the heat took effect and he started to sweat. There were people all around him, some shaking his hand, some patting him on the back, even a hair ruffle here and there. Cries of gratitude and excitement flowed around him, and Naruto found himself shaking hands and nodding back. The faces were a blur though, none of them the one he needed to see.

His vision was tunneling now. Black hedged on the edge of his perception and people began to move in slow motion. Sound reduced to a dull roar, the chanting and cheering becoming nothing more than background noise. He stumbled again, his feet tripping over themselves, and he fought to right himself. He couldn't stop now; he had to find Hinata.

He had to make sure she was alright. Hinata was the kindest, bravest person he knew. She was so strong that sometimes Naruto would look at her and wonder where the shy girl he knew in the Academy had gone. Had she always been so strong and he'd just never noticed? It was certainly possible. Naruto would be the first to admit he hadn't paid much attention to others early on. But Hinata was like him. She didn't give up, even when the world told her to stand down. She's saved his life – multiple times now – at risk of her own. He needed to make sure she was safe.

Kiba and Shino appeared in the distance. Akamaru lay sprawled on the ground, dirty and tired, under Kiba's warm weight. Shino stood before them, his stance indicating relief and paranoia – he was still prepared to leap into action should the situation call for it. The group was sharp against a backdrop of blurred color. Naruto picked up the pace. Team 8 was the closest team he knew, even more than his own; where one was, the others were sure to follow. Hinata couldn't be too far away.

He moved closer, forcing his feet to continue moving. He had to find her. He had to see her smile. He had to touch her and feel the warmth of her skin. He had to know she was alive because he didn't think he could lose anyone else.

Another stumble. Another rock. Another cheer.

And there she was.

The world seemed to float away. All that mattered was her. She was standing there, surrounded by dust and debris, brushing dirt from her clothes. Her eyes moved frantically, searching for something on the horizon. He knew the moment she saw him. Her body froze, her entire face lighting up into an expression Naruto couldn't decipher. It almost reminded him of his mother, but there were enough differences that he was unable to determine what it meant. Her eyes locked with his.

Then she was there. She was in front of him – warm, alive. He could reach out and touch her if he wanted to. And he did want to. He wanted to envelop her in a hug – wanted to feel her in his arms. Naruto didn't understand why the thought of her brought up such a feeling in his chest, but he wasn't one to think too deeply about it. Hinata was his friend, a precious friend; one he'd almost lost. That was reason enough.

A feather-light touch at his stump jolted him into reality. Sound returned – the loud cries and cacophony of noise rushing through – and Hinata suddenly seemed so much clearer. "Your arm," she murmured, her fingers brushing at the bandages and her eyes misting.

Naruto shook his head. "It's nothing," he said. But it wasn't true and they both knew it. Even still, Naruto couldn't feel the pain. All he felt was Hinata's gentle touch soothing the traumatized nerves and making everything else seem inconsequential.

"Naruto, you-" but she broke off, biting her lip. Next thing he knew, Hinata was embracing him, her arms wrapping around his neck and her face pressing into the crook of his shoulder. He felt her begin to shake and he awkwardly tried to hold her.

His injured arm made for a very uncomfortable embrace, but Hinata didn't seem to notice. She just pressed further into him, her breath tickling at his ear.

"I saw you die," he heard her whisper, the words soft and raspy with suppressed tears.

He choked out a laugh, squeezing his eyes as that last memory of her flashed before him. "I felt you disappear," he mumbled into her hair.

Naruto felt her heave against him, though whether she was laughing or crying anymore he couldn't tell. Perhaps it was a little bit of both. Her grip tightened, but he didn't mind. If felt nice, soothing – like coming home after a long day.

"Promise me you won't do that again?" She asked.

"Hinata-"

"Promise me," she said again, more forcefully this time. Her eyes bore into his own as she pulled back to look at him, and Naruto found himself unable to say no.

He nodded.

"I promise," he found himself saying.

Hinata looked at him, searching, before she nodded once, and returned her head to its previous position. Her arms wound themselves back around him.

Naruto was all too happy to oblige. His arm snaked around her, the stump ending tragically too short, though Hinata didn't appear to mind. She made no mention of the awkwardness, only burrowing her head further into the crook of his neck. There was a fluttering in his stomach he didn't understand as he felt her heart beat against his chest.

All he knew was the relief.

She was alive. She was safe.

They were both safe.

He held tighter.

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 **And that's that. I hope you all enjoyed! Please review, but don't flame; they don't help writers improve. Thank you so much for reading!**

 **~AlabasterInk**


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